Letters to the Editor for Feb. 6, 2013

To all who attended our Office Hours meeting on Jan. 31 at Goshen Town Hall, thank you. Meeting constituents, discussing upcoming legislative proposals and addressing concerns is why I am in Hartford - to represent you and your voice.

Thursday's discussion was a perfect reminder of why I'm doing this job, and why I believe I'm the best suitor to represent the voters of Winchester, Colebrook, Goshen and Torrington. I want to continue relaying what you, as my constituency, want to see done in the State Capitol.

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There's no doubt that the challenges we face in the General Assembly - from gun violence and mental health, to jobs, the economy and a state budget - are not easy.

And I know my constituency recognizes that, as was the case during the Goshen discussion. But I have the pleasure of serving an educated constituency, and they feel passionate about many of these issues.

It's my job to address these concerns and represent them at the state level, and on Thursday, I left with a better understanding of your positions on these difficult issues.Again, thank you for coming to the Goshen discussion. I look forward to similar settings in the future, and to continue honorably, honestly and humbly serving you for the next two years.

-- Jay Case, State Representative of the 63rd House District

100 years of Income Tax

This year is the hundredth anniversary of the Income Tax (The 16th Amendment). In 1913 only a very small percentage of wage earners were subject to the tax. Over time, practically all of us have come under expanded provisions, including withholding and payroll taxes. What started so innocuously in 1913 has become a dead weight on our economy. JFK said, "the largest single barrier to full employment of our manpower......... and to a higher rate of economic growth, is federal income taxes."

In an era of sluggish economic activity and depressed federal revenues, Congress is turning a critical eye to the Income Tax. Right now we have several "fixes" vying for the spotlight, including tweaking the current system, various flat tax plans, VATs, and the FairTax. The FairTax is the only plan that replaces the income tax. It would have brought in more federal revenue in 2010 and 2011 than the income tax did because of the slump in employment. Quoting JFK once again, "Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer."

Your Congressman, John B. Larson, has a critical role to play in these discussions, sitting as he does on the House Ways and Means Committee, where all tax reform must start.

Ask him to support the FairTax and report it out of committee for Congressional debate.

-- David Boone, Houston,

Minnesota

Moving the Emergency Room

Barkhamsted residents are being asked to subsidize the Borghesi/ Charlotte Hungerford Hospital project so that the developer can make a profit.

A former Barkhamsted selectman recently wrote that he objected to the tax abatement proposal. He generally supports tax abatements, which are traditionally used to draw businesses to towns. He objects to this particular abatement because it is at the expense of Barkhamsted's neighbors in Winsted. He thinks this is not good for the region and that economic development should be planned with "an eye toward regional stability." Many agree with this analysis.

The proposed project is a classic example of bad corporate citizenship and reeks of conflict of interest (the owner of the property for the new development is on the Charlotte Hungerford hospital board). This is a cynical insider scheme to profit a few at the expense of many.

There is no question that the developer intends to make a profit. What does this mean? The rental rates to Charlotte Hungerford, the physicians and other tenants must necessarily be high enough to ensure profit. This is in contrast to the rates that the Winsted Health Center charges as a nonprofit entity dedicated only to providing health care services to area residents.

Some on the project say that rents cannot be kept low enough without the tax abatement. So what happens when the abatement expires? When rental prices increase, Charlotte Hungerford, already financially challenged, will close up shop and this region will lose access to emergency care and other medical services. All of us will have to rely on getting to Torrington (and eventually, who knows where) for life-saving and other medical services.

This will be yet another loss for Winsted and the surrounding towns.

Please attend the Barkhamsted town meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. and vote NO.